Jobdeck Operations

Powerful and highly interactive mask and pattern support

Jobdeck ViewingOne of CATS' most popular optional features is Jobdeck Viewing. With fast, accurate, graphical support for MEBES™, JEOL™, Hitachi™ and NuFlare/Toshiba™ E-beam systems, CATS' Jobdeck Viewing provides the visual and analytical tools necessary to verify complex jobdecks. The user may display photomask outlines and titles, as well as pattern borders, pattern data, or both. Combined with very high-speed drawing algorithms and comprehensive color, fill-code and line-style control, these features provide the industry-standard tool set for jobdeck analysis, troubleshooting and verification.

Two jobdecks may be input simultaneously and overlaid, further adding to the verification and troubleshooting capabilities. Jobdecks may be scaled and offset relative to one another to ensure proper overlay. This option provides also for the overlay of additional verification patterns to ensure accurate placement of patterns relative to cassette clamps, pellicle frames, etc.

Jobdeck EditingBuilding upon the solid graphical foundation set by CATS Jobdeck Viewing, the Jobdeck Editing option extends both the power of the package and the ability of the user into both interactive and command-driven jobdeck creation and modification.

With tools to add, delete, move, and manipulate titles and patterns, as well as powerful features for assisting in photomask layout, the Jobdeck Edit option adds significant capability to the arsenal of manufacturing and verification tools.

In an interactive session, a user may combine the display and verification capabilities provided by Jobdeck Viewing with the pattern, title and exposure modification abilities of Jobdeck Editing. Drop-ins and drop-outs are as simple as point-and-click. Users may make use of standard jobdeck elements through an import ability, and they may also make use of standardized templates through some simple and powerful automation capabilities. Circular and rectangular arraying constructs make precise array calculations simple.

CATS provides a sophisticated command-driven language to provide even further automation and verification abilities. CATS extends the abilities of these tool-specific jobdecks through the use of its own jobdeck format. The CATS Jobdeck Format provides tools and capabilities not available in the tool-specific jobdeck formats with the capability of converting its internal format to the target format.

Jobdeck SmashingCATS' industry-standard fracturing and superior jobdeck graphics join in a unique option known as Jobdeck Smashing. Whether it is for the generation of photomask inspection data or for creating optimized E-beam data for today's high-end exposure tools, Jobdeck Smashing allows the user to fracture all of the pattern data in jobdeck contained within the specified fracture limits into a single pattern file.

Although the various E-beam formats allow multiple pattern files to be combined through the jobdeck, inspection tools typically require the inspection database to be presented as a single file. CATS provides the user with the ability to convert from any format CATS can read, including jobdecks, to any of the supported optional inspection formats.

Another key use for this capability lies in the fact that many of today's most advanced E-beam exposure tools prefer to see large segments of data at one time to minimize stage travel time and maximize throughput. While it tends to be simpler from the design and early data preparation stand point to present the tool with several, smaller and more manageable pattern files, some tools perform more efficiently with a single large pattern file that can be produced through CATS Jobdeck Smashing.

Yet another powerful combination will be CATS Jobdeck Smashing and CATS MRC; manufacturing rule checks. MRC provides the user with the ability to perform high-speed width and space verifications on any file CATS can read; and that includes jobdecks. For the first time, designers and photomask manufactures will have the ability to run DRC-like verifications on post-fractured data and jobdecks. After all, a DRC is only valid through the design stage. It does nothing to verify that the manipulations common to both standard photomask data preparation procedures, as well as the many potential pattern manipulations that can occur in the jobdeck, have not created design rule violations or created a situation that is non-optimal for photomask exposure or inspection.